Chapter 6
1120 Words
Jea squinted to the light peeking through the curtains, pushed off the sheet, and sat upright. Glanced at the unfamiliar room she was in.
She let out a deep sigh and left the room
Her flowing coffee - coloured night jacket swept the marble stairs, her steps were slow and heavy as she walked down, the grand chandelier above seeming farther away every step down
She walked to the kitchen, took a coffee mug from the counter, and set it down, the clink echoed in the half empty room
The coffee machine hissed, and poured out the coffee, she picked up her cup, her eyes caught the glass dining table, the chrome dining seat, and the large abstract canvases on the walls
She walked over to one of them, coffee still in her hands, as she reached to touch it, a voice came from behind her
"It's still wet"
His voice was cold and soft
Jea's fingers froze, she stood there for a moment before finally turning towards the voice
He sat on a low stool, brush in his hands smoothing black and blue colors across the canvas
She took a sip of her coffee before speaking
"You paint?"
She asked, amused, eyes drifting over the other paintings lined on the wall
Darian didn't look up, he kept painting
"Weird paintings"
She complimented
Darian paused, then turned to her
"You do understand paintings"
He asked
Jea scoffed
"You think I don't"
She asked, without waiting for a reply, she continued
"Whatever you do, is a reflection of who you are"
"It shows the inner you"
She said
"So what you do defines you"
He asked
"Well, of course, that's how the world sees you"
She replied
The room went quiet, only the soft sound of his brush against the canvas could be heard
Then Jea picked up her cup from the table where she set it earlier, and turned to leave
Her body brushed the wooden display shelf beside her causing the sculpture to fall
Darian moved fast enough to catch her mid air from falling, but the sculpture hit her leg while trying to grab it, he got a slight cut on his palm from a knife
He lifted Jea carefully and set her on the armrest of the sofa beside them, he pulled a first aid box from the drawer and began massaging the spot that was hit
His hand moved back and forth over her foot, cold against her feet
Jea's eyes stayed locked on him while he concentrated not looking up once
When he was done, his hands lingered a bit too long on her foot before he finally stood
"You should be careful"
He said voice flat like his words meant little
"Jea stood up from the arm rest, now standing very close to him
Without a word, she took his hand and rubbed ointment on it
"Don't let it leave a scar"
She said dropping his hand and meeting his eye
The stare stretched, the entire room seemed to shift, the air between them felt warm, they could feel each other's breath, the tension between them grew
Just then both phones beeped
Darian pulled his from his pocket, while Jea walked to the kitchen counter to check hers
Both had a message from Defiant steps
An invitation to their grand dance concert
Jea stared at the message, her heart sank, she stood frozen, her hands falling to her sides
Darian's grip tighten on the phone, his veins rose on his hand, his face turned red, his jaw tightened
And both walked away in different directions not giving the other a glance
____
Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood sat on the sofa in their living room, Mr. Blackwood was sipping iced tea from a glass, and Mrs. Blackwood was scrolling through her phone.
She paused mid-scroll, her eyes widened, still staring at the phone, she tapped her husband sitting beside her.
"Honey, look."
"Look."
She urged.
Her husband grumbled in disappointment.
"What is it this time?"
"Look, look."
She shifted closer to him so they could both see the screen.
He stared at the headline and his eyes shot open.
"What?"
The word escaped his mouth.
Just then, Julien walked in, sweatpants, an oversized T-shirt, and a towel hung over his neck.
"Hey."
His mother called out when she saw him.
"What is it, Mom..."
He asked, exhausted, still walking toward the kitchen.
"Hey!"
She raised her voice.
Julien jerked to a stop.
"Mom!"
He exclaimed.
"Did you see the news?"
She asked, phone still in her hand.
"What news?"
He asked.
"Turn on the TV."
She motioned for him, waving her hands in a hurry.
Julien scratched his already messy hair and grabbed the remote. He turned the TV on, slammed the remote on the glass table lazily, and turned to leave like he’d satisfied her request.
"Where are you going?"
"Sit and watch this."
She said, smiling sheepishly.
Julien stopped in his tracks and turned to the TV.
The headline flashed boldly the moment the TV booted:
"Jea Donnis of Donnis Group and Darian Vale of Vale Industries in marriage alliance, consummated yesterday."
Julien quickly wiped his sleepy eyes and opened them again to be sure he wasn’t dreaming. The words didn’t change
"What happened?"
His mother asked once she was sure he’d processed it
"Did you two break up?"
She asked, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips"
"I don’t understand"
"What’s going on?"
He asked, confused
"You’ve forgotten how to read? Or maybe you never knew how"
His mother teased
"Stop, Mom"
He said in a serious tone
"What?"
His mom retorted.
"Didn’t you break up with her? Eh?"
Her voice rose
"No, we didn’t"
Julien answered
"You must be lying"
"Why else would she get married to someone else without you knowing?"
"I’m not"
Julien finally faced his mother
"I’m not"
"We didn’t even have a fight, let alone break up"
He explained
"Then why?"
His mother’s expression turned serious
She finally realized something was wrong
She turned back to the screen
"That’s her, isn’t it?"
She asked no one in particular
Her husband rose from the sofa and walked over to her
"Honey, take it easy. Let Julien handle this"
He said, placing a hand on her shoulder from behind
"No, that’s her"
She insisted, turning to look at the stunned Julien
Julien spaced out for a while, then snapped back and hurried to his room, leaving his mother in disbelief
"He must have broken up with her"
"I’m sure of it"
She said, nodding her head
"Let him be. He’ll explain later"
Mr. Blackwood assured her, guiding her back to the sofa and handing her a cup of water.
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